The TV ad spending by top candidates for national posts in Metro Manila alone has reached almost P1.5 billion even before the start of the election period.

PPCRV urged voters not to elect extravagant candidates, saying they are most likely to recover their expenses when they are in power.

Data from the ABS-CBN Investigative and Research Group show seven candidates in the 2013 senatorial election who spent at least P20 million for their campaigns but did not make it to the top 12.

Among them is former Cagayan Congressman Jack Enrile who was the biggest campaign spender that year. He spent an estimated 150 million pesos, 90 percent of which went to campaign ads.

For former congressman and independent senatorial candidate Walden Bello, it is now time to mandate every candidate to declare the sources of their campaign contributions even while the campaign is ongoing.

This is to identify the business personalities or illegal trade backing candidates.